August 07, 2009

Daley declines to answer questions about insider's Olympics deal

Mayor Richard Daley today declined to answer questions about a Tribune story on how a member of his Olympic bid team arranged to develop city-owned land near a park that would be transformed for the 2016 Summer Games, potentially positioning himself to cash in if the Games come here.

Developer Michael Scott Sr., an early member of the mayor's Olympic committee, leads a group planning a residential and commercial project on lots kitty-corner from the proposed Douglas Park sporting venues, a location where land values could jump if the city gets the Olympics.

The mayor's refusal to talk about Scott's Douglas Park project came at a Northwest Side CTA station where he discussed the city's plan for construction projects in the coming years. Daley's public schedule indicated he would only be taking questions on that topic today (which he did), but a throng of reporters showed up and asked him about Scott's project.

Daley, however, said he would only be taking questions on the city's construction plans.

"I'm sorry I can't answer questions every day. Every day, I do it enough," Daley said.

Asked by a Tribune reporter when he would be available to talk about Scott's project, Daley said the question insulted him.

"Oh, I do it everyday, you've been with me every day. Never insult me with that question," Daley said. "You're insulting me because every day I'm here, you're never here. And don't print that, so I know you'll print it."

Daley's press staff then ended the news conference.

Update: The mayor's press office said tonight that he will take questions Saturday morning at the Bud Billiken Parade on the South Side.

To everyone espousing term limits, we already have them. They are called elections and they are conducted every four years.
If things were as bad as people would have you believe, there should be long lines of people at the polling places to vote the bums out.

It is time for Richard Daley to leave. We put up with him, I believe, because he continued to bring in the big projects. But all he touches ultimately fails, because he a) refuses to run open, transparent government; b) maintains this ward by ward power structure (where he is basically mayor of downtown) and c) ultimately is cynical about citizen involvement. In that sense, he is weak and leaning on an old, outdated power structure. So nothing he launches (green initiatives, etc) can ever succeed. Time to go. I've begun to loathe him.

i hate to yell, but PLEASE, PLEASE, I.O.C PAY ATTENTION TO THIS!!! The games are not for the world, nor are they for the country or the city, they are only for the benefit of Daley insiders!!! HOW MUCH MORE INFORMATION DO YOU NEED! end this charade and pick another city.

Sure, Daley holds a lot of press conferences, but what good are they if he refuses to answer questions? The media should stop attending these as they are playing the game by Daley's rules. If you still insist on going then call him out whenever he makes one of his ridiculous attempts to turn everything on the media. Don't just sit there meekly allowing him to dump on you.

2011 is long past overdue for dumping Daley. In 2015 if his successor is rotten then the field will be wide open and much better candidates will emerge.

you know you're all gonna be good little sheeple and vote his royalness King Richard II in again... don't try to say you won't either. he's not been dubbed 'mayor for life' for no good reason. got you all hoodwinked, yes he does!

Please people....this classic Chicago, "insder trading" transaction violates all good governance common sense let alone proper ethics...time for us Chumbalones to exercise our right to vote in a new administration - at least one that is at least transparant and answers questions directly rather than avoidance or ambiguous dialogue.

I wouldn't have expected this type of a mayoral response from a small town out in nowhere. We experience this in the 3rd largest city in the United States.

Daley wasn't this cocky when he was first elected. I am now a firm believer of term limits. God forbid City Council make such a move so I'll at least attempt it with my own vote while knowing the machine will do everything it can to keep Daley in power.

I'm hoping the citizens of Chicago are waking up from their deep sleep and determined to get new leadership. I am.

now is the time to go to Douglas Park field house at 1401 S. Sacramento Blvd walk into the field house and out onto the balcony. From this vantage point one can only see what the Chicago Park District accomplished in the past recent years
1. sanctuary of native plants from Illinois prairie days
2. wild birds migrate here during the Spring season
3. first golf course on park district grounds
4.now with Olympics decision coming soon at this site
5.TOTAL NEGLECT BY THE CHICAGO PARK DISTRICT OF THIS BIRD SANCTUARY & GOLF COURSE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Nothing will change. He will pander to the very people that are hurt most by his decisions and lack of integrity. Same as Stroger. And those same people will re-elect these shame artists.

As a side note I do think Daley has done some good things for this city. However, it is clear new blood is needed given how entrenched these pols are. We should demand term limits so fat cats do not get to comfortable in these positions. Plus limits the chance others can get their hooks into elected officials.

Here's the thing. There wasn't ANYONE worth voting for in the last mayoral election. I expect the same the next time around. I hate Daley. Guess what? There is never anyone better. I don't mean somebody that's generally good but has some views that go against mine. I mean the others are just as much a scammer as Daley is.

So when people say we need to vote him out they need to give me somebody that's respectable. Otherwise I'll stick with Mumbles. I know how I'm going to get screwed with him.

Everything we need to know about the Olympics bid is in this little article. Daley hopes to his hands on huge gobs of money to steer to people with connections. The rest of us will pay for it without ever getting an explanation of what is happening or why.

All 50 aldermen on the Chicago City Council had to file paperwork earlier this year detailing their outside income and gifts. The Tribune took that ethics paperwork and posted the information here for you to see. You can search by ward number or alderman's last name.

The Cook County Assessor's office has put together lists of projected median property tax bills for all suburban towns and city neighborhoods. We've posted them for you to get a look at who's paying more and who's paying less.

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Clout has a special meaning in Chicago, where it can be a noun, a verb or an adjective. This exercise of political influence in a uniquely Chicago style was chronicled in the Tribune cartoon "Clout Street" in the early 1980s. Clout Street, the blog, offers an inside look at the politics practiced from Chicago's City Hall to the Statehouse in Springfield, through the eyes of the Tribune's political and government reporters.